


The fifth member

by Icouldhavedroppedmycroissant



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Bisexual Female Character, Female Character of Color, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Kind of humor, Smoking, Why Did I Write This?, anyway, i wrote this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 19:12:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,293
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15007490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icouldhavedroppedmycroissant/pseuds/Icouldhavedroppedmycroissant
Summary: We all know Ace is filling in for Murdoc as the bassist when Murdoc went to jail, but what happens when 2D breaks his wrists and can't play keyboard for a while? Introducing Carmen Gutierrez, the fifth member of Gorillaz.





	The fifth member

It happened on a Tuesday. Carmen Gutierrez was sitting alone in her car, thinking. 'I'm forty-five now... damn, I'm old.' She was born in Havana, Cuba, on July 17, 1973, and was an only child. Her parents moved to Los Angeles, California when she was two, so she doesn't really remember Havana that well. Growing up, she had a passion for the keyboard, and had a natural gift in playing it. She would try to copy keyboard solos she heard in songs on the radio, and sometimes try to come up with her own songs. She always had a dream she would be a big-time song artist, but now, here she was, forty-five, and working at a fucking office. She got out of her car, and walked to her office building, when the cover of a magazine at the newsstand caught her eye. The headline said: "Singer for Gorillaz, 2D, breaks his wrists and is unable to play keyboard! The band is looking for a keyboardist to fill in for him while his wrists are healing!" Carmen stared at the cover for a few seconds, and picked up the magazine and bought it. "Keep the change," she told the vendor. She ran into her office building and clicked her heels. This was it! This was the day she was finally going to be a musician!

During her lunch break, she called the number in the magazine that Gorillaz put just in case anyone was interested in the position. The phone rang a couple of times, and the phone was picked up by a British guy. " 'Ello?" he asked. "Hi, my name is Carmen Gutierrez, I'm calling about the position for a keyboardist in your band, did I call the right number? Is this Gorillaz?" Carmen told the voice on the other line. "Uh, yeah, this is Gorillaz. I'm 2D. Are you int'rested in bein' our new keyboardist?" 2D asked her. "Um, yes. That's why I called you," she answered. "Brilliant! 'Ow soon can you com' in?" 2D questioned. "Um, well, I live in America, so I'll have to buy a plane ticket to wherever you guys live, but I know it's somewhere in England, so I'll be there in a few days?" she replied. "Oh, okay. We live in Essex, England, and we 'ave a new 'ouse, so let me tell you the address." Carmen scrambled to find a pen to write down the address 2D told her. "Okay, thank you! I'll be there as soon as I can!" she said, and hung up the phone. The first thing she did was buy a plane ticket to Essex. Her plane left tomorrow morning. Next, she went to her boss and asked if she could have a few days off. Her boss was a pretty cool guy, so he said yes. After her shift was over, she went straight home and packed her things, making sure not to forget her beloved keyboard. She called her friend to ask if he could watch her cat while she was gone, and he gladly accepted. The next morning, she said goodbye to her friend as he dropped her off at the airport, and she went to the gate for Essex and boarded her flight.

The plane ride to Essex was eight hours non-stop, so Carmen fell asleep on the plane. When they landed, she got off the plane and went to the car rental. After she got a car, she drove to the address 2D gave her. She had to admit, she was pretty nervous. "It's okay, Carmen. You just walk in there and say: 'Hey everyone! I'm Carmen Gutierrez! I'm auditioning to be your new keyboardist!' It'll be fine. Relax," she told herself over and over. When she finally got to her destination, she was a bit surprised. She expected their house to be a bit bigger, and nicer-looking, too. But whatever, this is where she's supposed to be, so this is where she's going to audition. She walked up to the front door, and rang the doorbell. It let off a loud DING. 'That's the loudest doorbell I've ever heard...' she thought to herself. She heard footsteps, and a woman answered the door. "Hello," she said, peering from behind the door, "Who are you?" "Oh, I'm Carmen Gutierrez, I came to audition for the keyboardist position," she told her. "Well, why didn't you say so? Come in!" the woman said cheerfully. Carmen walked in, and noticed the place looked welcome. A little too welcome... "You stay here, and I'll get the guys," the woman turned to leave the room, but stopped, "Oh, by the way, I'm Noodle, the band's lead guitarist." Noodle left the room, and Carmen looked around. They needed to vacuum, no doubt, but it had a bit of a homey feel to it, not something you would expect from a band's house. Noodle came back with three other men, one of which Carmen recognized to be 2D. "Carmen, this is 2D, our singer, Russel, our drummer, and Ace, out bassist. Ace is filling in as the bassist for Murdoc while he's in jail," Noodle told her, "Guys, this is Carmen. She's auditioning to be our new keyboardist!" 

" 'Ello, Carmen. I remember when you called us to ask about the position," said 2D. "Yes, I remember, but I forgot to ask, how are your wrists?" Carmen asked him. "They're fine, I just 'ave to stop playin' keyboard for a few mont's," he said, looking down at his wrist casts. "Hi, Carmen. I'm Russel. It's nice to meet another person from the states," Russel said, reaching out to shake her hand. "The pleasure's all mine," she said, taking his hand for a hand shake. "How are things going down in the USA?" he asked her. "Bad, actually, we have a terrible president, there's racism, sexism, and homophobia, net neutrality is dying, and it's all gone to shit," she said in a slightly annoyed voice. She hated remembering how shitty America was. "That's too bad. Sometimes, I'm glad I don't live there anymore," he told her. The green guy walked up to Carmen and pulled her into a hug. "I'm Ace, I'm also from America, Townsville, to be exact," he said, "I used to be the leader of a gang, but I've gone straight, and now I'm here, filling in for Murdoc while he's in jail." "Who's Murdoc?" she asked, a bit confused. "Murdoc was the original bassist of our band, he actually founded it, and he was a bit of a dick. Now, he's in jail for a crime he didn't commit," Noodle told her. "Oh, okay," Carmen said. "Well, now that you've met everyone, why don't we get started with that audition?" Noodle asked, clapping her hands together. Carmen almost forgot about that. "Okay, I brought my own keyboard, and a few samples of my music," she told them.

Everyone went into a room that Carmen recognized to be a recording studio. The Gorillaz all sat down on a couch and looked at her. "Okay, Carmen," Noodle told her, "We're ready when you are." Carmen gulped, and took out her keyboard. Then, she started playing. Everyone was silent as they heard her play and original song she wrote. When she was finished, she looked at them and said: "Well, what do you think?" "That... was... INCREDIBLE!" Noodle shouted excitedly, "You have everything it takes to be one of us! So, that being said... Carmen Gutierrez, welcome to Gorillaz." Carmen couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was part of a band now? Shut up! Everyone gathered around and came into a group hug. "Were glad to have you here, Carmen," Noodle told her happily, "Now, why don't we show you to your room?"


End file.
